My brother's nightmare at a flat in Falmouth

JasonRA
JasonRA Online Community Member Posts: 133 Empowering
edited October 2023 in Everyday life
Hello again.

My brother Aiden, who is 39 has a major mental health issues into physical health issues, from Epilepsy to suicidal depression, he seeks solace in alcohol and yes he mixes the drink with his prescriptive drugs mainly to get to sleep because of the amount of noise in the flat, screaming, shouting day in and day out. He doesn't like dealing with anyone to be frank, he's been burnt so many times in his life the trust has gone and that's mainly why I'm mentioning this on his behalf.

I do not condone the act of mixing drink and drugs at all, it makes me think he's playing Russian Roulette with his life and his liver and the regenerative nature of the human body slows down, he's not getting any younger!

The flat he lives in is like the wild west, drug dealing, threats with knives, deaths, pimping and it's clearly having a massive negative impact on his mental health, when he orders stuff from eBay he gets it sent to my address to avoid people stealing his items. 

Is there any way where he can create a case for being moved to another flat in another area? He is on Sanctuary housing/Cornwall Council, he's afraid to complain because they might say "he's biting the hand that houses him". He wants his own space at the end of the day but will a new place help him get away from his problems?

I've posted about my issues about a week ago but my brother's issues weigh heavy on my mind, it's worry after worry. 

All the best
Jason.

Comments

  • Albus_Scope
    Albus_Scope Posts: 9,046 Scope Online Community Coordinator
    Hi @JasonRA and welcome to the community.

    Thanks for sharing your brothers story.  It really sounds like a horrible situation to be in.  I can see how a new place could be very helpful. It wont fix his problems of course, but it could allow him a safe space to think about starting his journey.  Everyone deserves a place to call home, somewhere safe. Hopefully then it'll be one less thing weighing on your mind too. 

    I can't advise on the legalities of it all as I'm not great with housing issues, but hopefully a regular will see this and be able to offer some advice? 
  • chiarieds
    chiarieds Online Community Member Posts: 16,688 Championing
    Hi again @JasonRA - I remember you saying that your brother has even more problems than yourself, but I'm very sorry to read about his housing problems.
    It may very well be difficult because of his understandable trust issues, but there are a couple of things perhaps worth mentioning. He could ask for a  care needs assessment. This is about the difficulties he faces in his current home, but 'may' pave the way for looking into an alternative, the problem being the time this could take. He can refer himself here: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/help-from-social-services-and-charities/getting-a-needs-assessment/
    The other thought is for him looking into getting an advocate to help. Please see: https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/guides-to-support-and-services/advocacy/what-is-advocacy/    &
    https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/social-care-and-support-guide/help-from-social-services-and-charities/someone-to-speak-up-for-you-advocate/     I know of one Scope member that found Voiceability really helpful, but unfortunately they're not in all areas. Hope some of this may help, but then there's also the police; I'm just thinking about this as our local community police have helped myself & several of my neighbours very recently. So look at the last link on this page: https://www.falmouthtowncouncil.co.uk/news/contacting-police
  • MW123
    MW123 Scope Member Posts: 947 Championing

    Hello JasonRA, 

    I see Chiarieds has given some helpful advice and links for you to look into.  I have just looked up Sanctuary housing/Cornwall Council through an online search, and I apologise for not providing a link I am not very tech savvy.

    I found their website to be quite user-friendly, and I noticed they have a dedicated page for reporting anti-social housing issues, which contains a wealth of information. It might be worth your while to explore this option. Based on the brief information I've read, it does not seem like your brother would face any negative consequences or backlash from reporting these issues. Sanctuary Housing appears to be supportive in such situations. 

    Jason, if you inform them about the hazardous and distressing environment impacting your brother's health, I believe Sanctuary Housing will be open to relocating him to a better-suited place. It might take some time, but I sincerely hope they can create a sanctuary for your brother and bring you some peace of mind.

     

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